Identification of Changes in the Freshness of Palm (Arenga Pinnata) Sap

Arenga pinnata sugar as one of the palm sugar is an alternative sweetener appreciated because it contains additional nutritional properties with phytochemicals. The sugar is processed from fresh A. pinnata sap which spoils easily following harvest as it is very easy to ferment, so preservatives are often added during the sap collection period. This practice results in the changed characteristics of A. pinnata sap which are reported are generally measured from sap that has been collected over many hours and to which preservatives may have been added. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the fresh characteristics of A. pinnata sap, namely pH and colour with samples of A. pinnata sap which were collected and measured over a short time span and without using preservatives. The results indicated that fresh palm sap was alkaline with a pH of about 8 and decreased during the time of observation. Colour measurement showed the L*, a*, and C* values decreased, while the a* and ΔE* increased with time of observation. The hue angle implied the colour of the very fresh A. pinnata sap can be compared to the colour of drinking water. Correlation analysis performed showed a strong relationship between pH and colour, especially for pH-L* (r = 0.81) and pH-a* (r = − 0.85). Changes in the pH value for 12 h observed from this study revealed that without the use of preservatives the palm sap was still fresh and could be processed into crystal A. pinnata sugar crystals.